ADR not just for Europe

GOING GLOBAL

ROAD • AFTER YEARS OF DISCUSSION, THE WORD ‘EUROPEAN’ IS TO BE DROPPED FROM THE TITLE OF THE ADR AGREEMENT, IN THE HOPE THAT IT WILL BECOME A GLOBAL STANDARD

THE INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT of dangerous goods by air and sea are regulated by agreements to which virtually all countries of the world are signatories. The same is not true of international transport by land either by road or rail.

To some extent this is understandable. While air and maritime transport are global businesses and thus deserve a consistent, global set of standards, road transport is hardly ever more than regional in nature. There is, therefore, no need for the rules in place in Europe to be equivalent to those in, for example, North America.

As such, the European Agreement concerning the International Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road – the ADR Agreement – fulfils its role as the basis for regulating international road transport within Europe. EU member states and some others also use ADR for domestic transport. Over the years, the applicability of ADR has been extended, with countries in central Asia and North Africa adding their names to the list of contracting parties and, earlier this year, Nigeria signing up.

ADR has also been increasingly observed elsewhere around the world as a useful document on which to base domestic transport regulations. Countries throughout Latin America and in south-east Asia use ADR in such a way and recent revisions to Chinese regulations have also used ADR as a model.

A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND

ELSEWHERE HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED AN INTEREST PRACTICAL HELP The ADR Agreement is useful for these countries; it is a tried and tested piece of regulation that has been in effect for 50 years; it covers both bulk and packaged goods transport and the construction, equipment and operation of the vehicles carrying them; and it includes a comprehensive system of hazard communication. It is also harmonised as far as possible with the international air and sea regulations.

Now, after toying with the idea for some years, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) has decided to drop the word ‘European’ from the title of the Agreement, believing that this will remove one barrier to its adoption by UN member states outside Europe.

“Building on the achievements of ADR over the last five decades in improving safety for the transport of dangerous goods, more and more countries are looking to harness its practical value,” says Olga Algayerova, UN ECE’s executive secretary. “As a global agreement, I encourage all UN member states to join and fully implement ADR, supporting progress towards road safety targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. UN ECE stands ready to support countries in this process.”

The change in the title of ADR is the result of several years of negotiation by international experts in the transport of dangerous goods under the auspices of UN ECE’s Inland Transport Committee. The decision was made a Conference of the Contracting Parties to ADR, which took place in May. The change in title of ADR will enter into force on 1 January 2021, provided that no objection from a Contracting Party has been expressed within a six-month period following notification by the UN Secretary-General to all Parties.

The change to the name of the ADR Agreement is more than symbolic: it is hoped that it will help convert a set of rules designed by and for European nations into a broadly global rulebook. UN ECE has also put together a roadmap for non-European countries, especially those in the developing world, to help them accede to and implement ADR. HCB